Rebuilding the Talent Supply Chain

The American Dream has always been fueled by opportunity—the opportunity to create a life better than your parents had, the opportunity to reinvent yourself, the opportunity to live out your fullest potential. The American Dream is tightly woven into the fabric of our country; inextricable from what it means to call oneself an American. But the American Dream is facing a new challenge, and if not addressed properly, millions may lose out on the opportunities America has always afforded her people.

Currently, more than 5 million jobs are sitting unfilled in the United States because employers cannot find qualified talent to fill them. Approximately half of employers are having trouble filling critical positions, and more than a third report not being able to take on new business due to a workforce shortage. This skills gap between what employers need and what job seekers are prepared to do is growing—estimates top 6 million unfilled jobs by 2020. And yet, millions of Americans are still looking for work but cannot find a steady position due to a lack of in-demand skills. This hits young workers particularly hard, with 5.5 million youth ages 16 to 24 out of school and work.

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